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CDS Previous Year GK Questions

Previous-year questions are the most reliable guide to the CDS General Knowledge paper, because the syllabus in the notice is one paragraph long and the paper is not. UPSC uploads the question papers of every CDS on upsc.gov.in the day after the exam, so a full record of what was asked exists for each cycle. Reading them shows the weight of each area, the depth UPSC expects in Polity, History, Geography, Economy and Science, and the question forms it prefers: statements with "which of the above are correct", "how many of the following pairs are correctly matched", match the lists, and arrange in chronological order. Many topics return: writs and constitutional bodies, dynasties and reform movements, Ramsar sites and World Heritage sites, budget and balance-of-payments terms, and school science applied to everyday situations. This page collects CDS previous-year General Knowledge questions in English and Hindi, each with the correct answer, an explanation and the topic it belongs to, so that a question leads you to the GK note that covers it. Use them in three passes: untimed to learn, timed to build speed, and a week later to revisit your wrong answers.

Previous Year Questions

Q743.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2020, GKMedium

Which of the following are considered to be the four pillars of human development?

  1. A.Equity, inclusion, productivity and empowerment
  2. B.Equity, productivity, empowerment and sustainability
  3. C.Productivity, gender, inclusion and equity
  4. D.Labour, productivity, inclusion and equity
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Equity, productivity, empowerment and sustainability

These are the four pillars of human development set out by the economist Mahbub ul Haq, who led the team that prepared the first Human Development Report for the UNDP in 1990, working closely with Amartya Sen.

Q746.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2024, GKMedium

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. A price index captures the change in the average price of a constant basket of commodities.

2. If the price index takes values 100, 110 and 121 in three consecutive years respectively, then the inflation rates in the 2nd and 3rd years are 10% and 21% respectively.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 defines a price index correctly, but statement 2 gets the third year's inflation wrong. A price index such as the Consumer Price Index tracks the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, compared with a base year whose value is set at 100.

Q747.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2024, GKHard

Which of the following pairs of Himalayan Glaciers and their location is/are correctly matched?

1. Siachen - Nubra Valley Region

2. Chungphar - Kumaon-Garhwal Region

3. Zemu - Central Nepal Region

4. Gasherbrum - Pir Panjal Range

Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.1 and 2
  3. C.2 and 3
  4. D.3 and 4
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 only

Only the Siachen pair is correct. The Siachen Glacier, about 76 km long, lies in the eastern Karakoram, and its meltwater gives rise to the Nubra river, which joins the Shyok; the Nubra Valley of Ladakh lies below its snout, so the glacier belongs to the Nubra Valley region.

Q748.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2025, GKEasy

Indore city in Madhya Pradesh is situated in which one of the following regions ?

  1. A.Bundelkhand
  2. B.Mahakoshal
  3. C.Malwa Plateau
  4. D.Nimar Region
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Malwa Plateau

Indore stands on the Malwa Plateau in western Madhya Pradesh. Malwa is a volcanic upland of basalt rock, part of the Deccan Traps, lying north of the Vindhya Range; its black soil supports soybean, wheat and cotton, and the region also takes in Ujjain, Dewas, Ratlam and Mandsaur.

Q749.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2016, GKHard

With regard to water transportation in India, which of the following statements are correct?

1. Headquarters of Central Inland Water Transport Corporation is located at Delhi.

2. Headquarters of Inland Waterways Authority of India is located at Noida.

3. National Inland Navigation Institute is located at Kolkata.

4. First National Inland Waterway was between Haldia and Allahabad.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.2 and 3
  3. C.2 and 4 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 4
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 2 and 4 only

Statements 2 and 4 are correct, while statements 1 and 3 name the wrong city. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), set up in 1986, has its headquarters at Noida in Uttar Pradesh and develops and regulates the national waterways.

Q750.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2017, GKEasy

Which one of the following statements with regard to the Indian Railways is not correct?

  1. A.The Indian rail networks have been developed throughout the Konkan coast.
  2. B.There is very low density of railway lines in the Himalayan region.
  3. C.The north Indian plain has a dense network of railway.
  4. D.At present, India has the largest railway network in the world.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. At present, India has the largest railway network in the world.

India does not have the largest railway network in the world; the United States has the longest, followed by China and Russia, with India in fourth place.

Q751.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKMedium

Statement I : The interior part of Maharashtra does not receive adequate rain in the summer season.

Statement II : The interior part of Maharashtra lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats.

  1. A.Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
  2. B.Both the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
  3. C.Statement I is true but Statement II is false
  4. D.Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I

Both statements are true, and the rain shadow of the Western Ghats is exactly why interior Maharashtra gets little rain.

Q753.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2019, GKHard

Which one of the following is not a change brought about by the Indian Independence Act of 1947?

  1. A.The Government of India Act, 1935 was amended to provide an interim Constitution.
  2. B.India ceased to be a dependency.
  3. C.The Crown was the source of authority till new Constitution was framed.
  4. D.The Governor-General was the constitutional head of Indian Dominion.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. The Crown was the source of authority till new Constitution was framed.

The Indian Independence Act did not keep the Crown as the source of authority; it ended British authority over India from 15 August 1947.

Q755.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2021, GKEasy

Which of the following is/are social security scheme(s) ?

1. Atal Pension Yojana

2. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

3. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 3
  4. D.1 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1, 2 and 3

All three are social security schemes, launched together by the Government of India on 9 May 2015 to give pension and insurance cover to ordinary people, especially in the unorganised sector.

Q756.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2021, GKEasy

The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression. But the freedom is subject to certain reasonable restrictions imposed by the State. These restrictions may relate to which of the following ?

1. Defamation

2. Decency or morality

3. Incitement to an offence

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1 and 3 only
  4. D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1, 2 and 3

All three are grounds listed in Article 19(2) on which the State may place reasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.

Q757.GeographyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2022, GKEasy

Which of the following variable(s) is/are displayed in population pyramids ?

1. Age-groups

2. Sex indicators (male and female)

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Both 1 and 2

A population pyramid shows the age and sex structure of a population in a single diagram. The vertical axis is divided into age groups, usually of five years each, with the youngest at the bottom and the oldest at the top.

Q758.Science & TechnologyAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKEasy

The terms 'Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot and Tether', sometimes mentioned in the news, refer to

  1. A.Cryptocurrencies
  2. B.Earth Observation Satellites
  3. C.Hypersonic Cruise Missiles
  4. D.Virtual Private Network service providers
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Cryptocurrencies

Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot and Tether are all names from the world of blockchain-based digital currencies. A cryptocurrency is a digital asset recorded on a blockchain, a shared ledger kept by many computers, and secured by cryptography rather than issued by a central bank.

Q760.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2023, GKMedium

Which of the following statements about the Vaishnava saint of Assam, Shankardeva, is/are correct ?

1. His teachings are often known as the Bhagavati dharma.

2. He encouraged the establishment of satras or monasteries and namghars or prayer halls for the transmission of spiritual knowledge.

3. His major compositions include the Kirtana-ghosha.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 3
  4. D.3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 1, 2 and 3

All three statements about Shankardeva are correct. Shankardeva (Sankaradeva) was the leading Vaishnava saint of Assam in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.

All Defence previous year questions